Hinged case.



No. 628,103. Patented July 4, i899.

A. L. MARINER.

HINUED CASE.

(Application tiled Apr. 27, 1898.)

(No Model.)

,jva'ezzor.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICIE.

' ABBOTT L. MARINER, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ORIENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

HINGED CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,103, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed April 27, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABBOTT LpMARINER, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of'Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hinged Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to eyeglass-cases.

It has for its object to provide an improved spring-hinge for such articles; and it con-' sists in the improvements which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an eyeglass-case constructed in accordance with my invention and opened out to expose the hinge. Figs. 2 and 3 represent vertical sectional views of the same in closed and open positions, respectively.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings, in which is represented an eyeglass-case composed, preferably, of a metal body, which is here shown without the usual leather or ornamental covering, a and 19 represent the two members or Y lids of the case, of which a may be considered the body part and the lid or cover. The two members are hinged together at c, the hinge being formed by bending up ears or lips on the edge of each member and passing the rod or pintle 0 through the bent portions in a well-known manner. The spring part of the hinge, which is constructed so as'to hold the casein either an open or a closed position, comprises in the present instance two flat metal strips d and e, secured to the two members of the case, respectively, preferably by means of rivets d d c e. The strip 61 is formed as a cam member, and its lower or operating end is curved orbent behind and around the pintle c of the hinge and is so shaped as to present a face portion 3 and an edge portion 2 to the action of the spring 6. The latter is preferably composed of tempered steel, and its free resilient end portion presses against the face portion 3 of the cam-strip 01 when the case is open, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus exerts a rotative action on the lid 17, which tends to hold the case in this open po- Serial N0- 678,986. (No model.)

sition. When the case is closed, as shown in Fig. 2, the spring e presses against the edge 2 of the cam-strip and exerts a rotative action on the lid 1) in an opposite direction, tending to hold the case closed. v

The bending of. the operative end or lip of the cam back upon itself formsa recess, partly occupied. by the pintle, and into which the end of the spring passes as the case is closed. The tendency of the case to spring open when opened beyond a certain point is produced by making the operative portion of the cam d recede from its terminal edge toward the axial line of the hinge; but obviously the said operative portion could be made concentric with the axial line if it were desired to dispense with that tendency, thus providing only for the self-closing-of the case on the other side of this point, which is the essential result that I desire to attain by means of my invention.

A hinge of the describedconstruction is simple and effective in its action and can be cheaply made. It is, moreover, compact, taking up but little room in the case and having its operative portions completely inclosed by the case.

1. An eyeglass-case comprising the members a b hinged together, a cam on one member consisting of a sheet-metal lip bent back on itself to form a recess for the reception of the spring end and terminating in a cam edge, and a spring on the other member, whose free end lies on the outside of the cam when the case is opened out,'said spring end passing over the said cam edge as the case is closed, and finally lying inside of the said recess, whereby the case is held closed.

2. An eyeglass-case comprising the membersra b, a hinge connecting the two, a cam on one member consisting of a sheet-metal lip bent back on itself to form a recess for the reception of the spring end and terminating in a cam edge, the outside of said cam receding from said edge toward the axial line of the hinge, and a spring on the other member, Whose free end lies on the outside of the cam when the case is opened out, whereby saidcase is held open, said spring end passing over the said cam edge as the case is closed, when the case is opened out, said spring end and finally lying inside of the said recess, passing over the said can]. edge and inward whereby the case is held closed. toward the pintle cas the case is closed, and I 5 3. An eyeglass-case comprising the memfinally lying inside of the said recess, where- 5 bers a b, a hinge connecting the two and havby the case is held closed.

\ ing the pintle c, a cam on one member con- In testimony whereof I have affixed my sigsisting of a sheet-metal lip bent behind and nature in presence of two Witnesses.

\ around the said pintle 0 and terminating in ABBOTT I MARINFR a, free cam edge, there being a recess formed i J I0 between said free edge of the cam and its op- \Vitnesses:

posite end, and a spring on the other member WILTON E. DRAKE,

whose free end lies on the outside of the earn 0. F. BROWN. 

